Dani Carvajal Says Mourinho Disliked Him At Real Madrid.

Dani Carvajal has forgiven Jose Mourinho for not including him among his favorites at Real Madrid but the player says, he hasn’t forgotten.

The Spanish footballer who plays as a right back says he doesn’t feel he got a fair shot when Jose Mourinho was the coach at Real Madrid Coach. He also discussed the similarities and differences between Zinedine Zidane and Rafa Benitez.

Carvajal is a product of the club’s football academy. He left in 2012 due to irreconcilable differences between him and Mourinho which hindered his chances at getting first team action, spending a year at Bayer Leverkusen before returning to La Liga.

“Mourinho didn’t give me opportunities. When I came back I needed a year away. And if I hadn’t done well I would have said I didn’t have the level for Madrid. I thought I was perfectly prepared for the first team but hey, the Coach, in this case, Mourinho, didn’t count on me,” the right-back told Marca. 

“I preferred to make my way in Europe, in another League, to staying in the Segunda with Castilla. I left with the idea of returning. In life you have to overcome difficulties that make you stronger, obstacles for a player to pass, to mature, to make you a better person.”

Carvajal had so much to say about how the team changed since Benitez left as manager and Zizou took over managerial duties. He said there was a big difference with Zinedine Zidane at the top, the team’s mood was lifted.

“The team didn’t change. We were the same players. I think the mentality changed. We needed fresh air. With Benitez, the team, the atmosphere, the fans, weren’t really into the group. It was all negativity,” he recalled.

“We weren’t very optimistic, the intensity in training, which went into games. I also think that if we had another Coach in those first months it would have been positive, because we needed a change.

“Zidane found the key. He came in hard but he has also been fair. Whoever deserved to play, has played. That’s very important to a group. I can’t be unhappy. I’ve played 50% of games, I’ve been out for three or four months with one thing or another, and I know I’ve had tough competition. In the final stretch the Coach opted for me. Balancing the good and bad, I finished well, overcame a lot of difficulties but it’s also a year to take into account and improve.”